What do you know

about Martin Luther

King, Jr.?

Use the following websites and books (and others in the same areas of the reference collection) to find the answers to the following questions.

Historic Landmarks of Black America – Ref E185.53 .A1 C36 1991

Encyclopedia of African-American Civil Rights – Ref E185.61 .E54 1992

Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History – Ref E185 .E54 1996

The Atlas of African-American History and Politics – Ref E185 .S574 1998

Great Lives from History: American Series – Ref CT214 .G74 1987

Current Biography – Ref CT100 .C8 1965

The King Center – http://www.thekingcenter.org

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site – http://www.nps.gov/malu

Southern Christian Leadership Conference – http://sclcnational.org

Biography Resource Center (available from Library website – Resources – Biographies)

American National Biography (available from website at Resources – Biographies or at Ref CT213 .A68 1999)

1. How successful was Martin Luther King, Jr.’s 1966 Chicago campaign against job discrimination, poor schools, and inadequate housing?

2. The 1960 sit-in movement led to the formation of what other civil rights group, which often employed different viewpoints than King?

3. How old was Martin Luther King, Jr. when he entered Morehouse College?

4. Which President signed the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday into law?

5. On what date was Martin Luther King, Jr.’s boyhood home designated as a National Historic Site and Preservation District?

6. What was the name for the area of Atlanta where King grew up?

7. Find a map that shows all the cities of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s major speeches and protests. In which Virginia and North Carolina cities did King lead protests?

8. What were 2 major honors bestowed on Martin Luther King, Jr. in the year or two following his March on Washington?

9. What is the Martin Luther King, Jr. quote (taken from the book of Amos) etched on the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama?

10. What was King’s nickname as a child?

11. Who was the FBI director who established phone taps and bugs in an attempt to discredit King?

12. Who took over the leadership of the SCLC after Martin Luther King, Jr.’s death?

13. From which university did he receive his Ph.D. in Systematic Theology?

14. Whose views on nonviolence greatly inspired King?

15. Martin Luther King, Jr. was arrested in October 1960 during an Atlanta protest. Who helped secure his release from jail, and how did this affect the national political scene?

16. How many books did Martin Luther King, Jr. author in his lifetime?

17. Using the New York Times Database (from the Library’s website, go to Resources, and then Newspaper Databases), find the article discussing King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, published on the day after the speech (you’ll have to find the date in one of the other sources first). Were there many arrests in Washington that day?